First Freeze Of Winter
by badly-knitted
Summary: The weather has turned cold and Dee is reluctant to get out of bed. The extended version of my ficlet written for Prompt #436: Hibernate at slashthedrabble. Set after Vol. 7.


**Title:** First Freeze Of Winter

 **Author:** badly-knitted

 **Characters:** Dee/Ryo

 **Rating:** PG

 **Setting:** After Vol. 7.

 **Summary:** The weather has turned cold and Dee is reluctant to get out of bed.

 **Word Count:** 779

 **Written For:** Prompt #436: Hibernate at slashthedrabble.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.

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Winter had hit New York with a vengeance sometime during the night. Ryo woke to ice building up on the windows, sleet in the air, and the temperature in his apartment too cold for comfort. Outside, the wind gusted, wailing like a banshee, rattling the panes of glass in their frames as if trying to find a way inside.

Ryo shivered, but reluctantly sat up, reaching for his robe and putting it on before sliding the rest of the way out from his cosy spot under the covers. He would have preferred to stay there, but he was on first shift at work, and it wouldn't be fair to the others to take the day off just because it was cold out. As unpleasant as it was, it would only get worse over the next few weeks; spring was still a long way off. Shoving his feet into fluffy slippers and wincing at how cold they felt against his bare soles, he shuffled across the bedroom to turn the heating up a few degrees, holding his hands out to the warmth. Winter was definitely his least favorite season.

In the big bed, all that was visible of Dee was a lump under the covers and a tuft of black hair against the pillow. Ryo left his partner there, no sense both of them getting chilly; Dee might as well stay snug until it was his turn for the bathroom. Gathering his clothes for the day, Ryo left his bedroom, intent on warming himself up under the shower.

At least the hot water was plentiful, and it didn't take Ryo long to shower and shave. By the time he turned the water off, he was feeling more awake, and ready for another busy day. Dressed for the winter weather, foregoing his suit in favour of warm slacks, and a sweater over a long-sleeved t-shirt, he made his way back to the bedroom, where the lump in the bed indicated that Dee was still buried under the covers.

Ryo crawled onto the bed and prodded his lover. "Dee? You awake? Bathroom's free."

"Lucky bathroom," Dee's voice emerged from the depths, muffled by the thick comforter over his head.

Laughing, Ryo tugged at the covers, but Dee must have had a firm grip on them because they didn't move. "Come on, Dee, time to get up. You're going to be late for work if you don't get a move on."

"I'm not goin' to work," Dee said, as if that was the end of the matter.

"Why not? Are you sick?" Ryo frowned in concern; Dee had seemed perfectly fine the night before.

"No." The top of Dee's head surfaced and an eye peeped at Ryo over the edge of the comforter. "It's too cold out, so I'm gonna stay right here where it's nice and warm, an' hibernate until spring." He vanished beneath the covers again.

Caught somewhere between fond amusement and exasperation, Ryo just sat there for a few minutes, not quite knowing how best to handle the situation. Sure, he'd been reluctant to get out of bed himself, but like the responsible adult he was, he'd done it anyway. Dee was behaving more like Bikky when he didn't want to go to school.

"Oh. Well, since you're hibernating, I guess that means you don't need to eat," he said at last. "Pity, I just bought some of that oak smoked bacon you like so much, I was planning to cook it for breakfast, with scrambled eggs, and maybe some mushrooms. Oh well, doesn't matter. If you're not eating, that just means there'll be all the more for Bikky and I." Ryo made to get off the bed.

The lump under the covers squirmed its way free and a hand shot out, grabbing Ryo by the arm. "Okay, okay, I'm gettin' up! No way are you feedin' my bacon to that brat," Dee exclaimed indignantly.

"Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn't want to disturb you if you're set on hibernating."

Dee scowled. "You play dirty."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ryo said innocently. "I should get breakfast started, since you've changed your mind about hibernating. You'd better not take too long in the shower though, or you won't have time to eat."

Muttering to himself, Dee grabbed some clothes and hustled off to the bathroom.

"Round one to me," Ryo said with a smile once Dee had exited the bedroom. That had worked perfectly, but if his lover was going to be like that all winter, he might need to come up with a few other enticements to get him out of bed in the morning.

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The End


End file.
